


Nesting Pros

by superpotterlock93



Series: Wayward Sisters/Bunker Family [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dad!Dean, Gen, Nesting Claire, Not Beta Read, Wayward Daughters, Wayward Sisters, post-Angel Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-15
Updated: 2015-05-15
Packaged: 2018-03-30 16:36:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3943891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superpotterlock93/pseuds/superpotterlock93
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wanting Claire to feel more welcomed, Jody encourages her to buy a few things to decorate her space and put down roots. Make it her own. Claire, still a little reluctant to take that step, shies away from the idea. It takes a surprise visit and a familiar face to help her see different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nesting Pros

**Author's Note:**

> This series can be read as a full storyline following the events of Angel Heart. Each part can also be read on it's own as separate clips of Claire's new life with Jody and Cas.

Knock, knock!

Claire startled at the noise, eying the bedroom door. She couldn’t remember the last time someone she lived with bothered to knock before entering. This one was also polite enough to wait for permission before barging in. It shouldn’t have been, but it was a little bit disconcerting.

“Uh, come in!”

“Hey, hun,” Jody smiled through the cracked door before letting herself through.

“Hi,” Claire got to her feet not quite sure what to do with herself.

“No, no. Sit.”

“Oh. Um, okay. So, what is it?”

“Nothing. Relax,” Jody smoothed the wrinkled sheets, “I was just wondering if you’d thought any more about what we talked about last night.”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, “I guess I don’t see the point.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I’m not gonna be here for long, am I? Sam said this isn’t a ‘permanent fix’.”

“This is as permanent a fix as you want it to be. You can stay as long as you like and not a second shorter.”

“…I don’t understand.”

“There’s nothing to understand,” Jody gave her leg a pat, “You are welcomed here, Claire. You’re wanted here.”

“So—.”

“So just reconsider getting some stuff for your room alright? It’s okay to put down some roots here.”

“You’re serious about this, aren’t you?.”

“Stop that. Stop acting like you’re a bother. My family might be odd and little small but we’d like it if you stayed.”

Jody got up smiling as if she’d won some big battle Claire didn’t know about. Without a word she then slipped out of the room as promptly as she’d entered.

Claire gave a sigh and lay back on her bed. It had only been a day since she’d started staying here. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to stay in the first place. Sure it was homey and safe and painfully domestic, but did she even know how to deal with that anymore?

Aside from that it felt wrong to just laze around here all day. She didn’t have any chores, she didn’t contribute a thing, and yet she was welcomed reap all the rewards.

Her last guardian used to make her go out and bring in an income. She’d picked as many pockets as she could for him. It had only been fair since he gave her food, clothes and shelter. But here was Jody Mills, offering all that and more without asking for a thing in return.

Claire frowned. She doubted the sheriff would take kindly to pickpocketed wallets as repayment. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure how else to earn a living. She hadn’t exactly gotten her GED while out on the run and she doubted that she’d interview well. Still, it felt wrong to accept all of this kindness without returning a thing.

Figuring her moping could use the fresh air, she slipped out of her room without a sound. She didn’t want to attract Alex’s attention from the bedroom opposite.

The girl was talkative and friendly – if not a tad judgmental. She was trouble with a capital T, reminding Claire too much of herself. That was not an upside. She didn’t particularly like her own company enough to want to hang out with Alex.

When she got outside, she immediately started to make an about turn. “Hey!” Alex waved, “Come on, seriously? Running away? That’s lame, even for you.”

With a deep sigh, Claire turned and faced her. Let no one ever say that Claire Novak backed down ever.

“Get over yourself. I wasn’t running away. I just didn’t want to bother you,” she lied.

“Right. Sure,” Alex nodded, “Of course.”

“I didn’t.”

“Y’know, I get it. You want your space. A little alone time. That’s cool.”

“Hmm,” Claire raised a brow. It seemed almost too accommodating for Alex.

“Honest. I’ve got the lawn to mow anyhow. I’m too busy to bother you.”

“Well there’s a blessing.”

“Ha ha. Cute,” she rolled her eyes before turning back to the lightweight lawnmower.

Claire took the opportunity to relax on the patio chair and enjoy the shade. She looked around at the other houses around them. This neighborhood was too quiet and borderline suburban for her liking. She was used to things being rough around the edges. The closest thing to that around here was Alex and Claire made a point of avoiding her.

Looking out at the lawn, she could see that Alex’s mowing was a half-assed job only halfway done. Still, Alex was panting with her face turned up at the sky. She had her fists stuffed onto her hips, chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath. Her face was flushed pink from the heat and her eyes paled in the sunlight. She was too busy scraping her hair into a messy ponytail to notice Claire staring.

Even as Claire made a point of avoiding Alex, she was admittedly fascinated by her. Or maybe the idea of her, she wasn’t sure. She’d never lived this closely with another girl her age before. She wasn’t sure how to deal with her.

It seemed easier to ignore Alex rather than try to befriend her. Claire had never tried making friends before. She knew she’d be terrible at it. Especially terrible at it considering that hostility was her comfort zone.

Friends had never been necessary or useful anyhow. And when you lived a life like hers, there was no time for things that weren’t necessary or useful. She was good at making allies; hanging with the stray drifter or fellow hitchhiker. Long term friends were a different deal altogether.

“Hey, kid,” a familiar voice caught her attention, “How’s it hanging?”

“Downwards and a little to the left,” Alex grinned accepting Dean’s hug.

“Yeah, yeah okay. I walked into that one. So you good?”

“Behaving my best, as usual,”

“Right. And I’m Clint Eastwood,” he scoffed.

“Clint Who-wood?”

“…just forget it,” he massaged his eyes, “My God, you’re as bad as Claire.”

At the mention, Claire half expected Dean to come over and talk to her too. Instead he gave a nod in her direction and made his way inside. It was stupid, but she kind of felt disappointed at that.

After mini-golfing, angel hunting, birthday presents, touchy feely-ments and secrets, she thought she would at least get a “Hey, Claire.” Not that it mattered, but it would have been nice.

“So are you and Dean close?” she asked trying for nonchalance.

“I guess,” Alex shrugged, “Maybe. Not really. He checks up on Jody and me sometimes. We’re cool.”

“Oh, he knows you through Jody. I thought maybe it was something else.”

“It was the same as you; hunting life bringing messed up people and orphans together.”

“Your parents died hunting?”

“Uh – I –,” she slowed her pace across the lawn, “Partially, I guess. It’s whatever.”

Her tone was final enough that Claire knew that this particular conversation was over. She didn’t think she wanted to pry any further after seeing the look on Alex’s face anyhow.Instead she sat back and watched her work.

“Do you want help with that?”

“The mowing?” Alex made a face, “I wouldn’t if I were you. Jody’s letting you rest and recuperate now, but you’ll get chores too eventually.”

“So I should enjoy not having any while I have the chance?”

“It’s exactly what I should have done when I first got here. I offered too back then. It’s the gratitude and guilt talking. Ignore it.”

Just this once, Claire figured it wouldn’t hurt to follow Alex’s advice. It wouldn’t hurt to kick back and relax for once. She closed her eyes and tried her best to catch up on some much needed sleep. Even now she couldn’t get comfortable enough to drift off.

Apparently that was short lived because moments later she was woken up to someone shaking her shoulder. She hadn’t even realized that she’d dozed off. Blinking away the sleep, she found Dean looming over her.

“Hey, you,” his voice came a little hazy, “I wanted to see how you were before I left.”

“I’m alright all things considered.”

“Good to hear. Cas was worried about you last night.”

“Castiel? He was?”

“Yeah. Seemed to insist you might need him or something.”

“Ah. I might have done something last night that could have come across as longing. And you know how he senses that stuff.”

“He…no. I didn’t,” he shifted uncomfortably, “I – uh – I didn’t know he could do that until now.”

“Well he does. He told me himself. I’d be careful if I were you.”

“Me? Look I got nothing to worry about, okay? I don’t long for anything,” he frowned.

“I wasn’t talking about a thing.”

“Shuddup. I’m not…I came to talk about you, not me,” he straightened up and motioned to his car in the driveway, “Let’s go for a ride.”

Claire ordinarily would put up a fight or ask a bunch of questions but this time she went without a peep. She took the seat up front and had her feet slapped off the dash before receiving a stern lecture on respecting Baby.

It was times like these when she figured that Castiel and Dean really were two dorks who deserved each other. Why not, right? No one else seemed lame enough to fit either of them. And they certainly dadded her a lot.

“I gotta pick up a couple things in town for Sam and Cas.”

“Sure. Whatever.”

“Jody said she’d suggested that you get some things too.”

“I told her that I’d think about it,” Claire frowned not liking the idea of being pushed into anything.

“I know and I told her to give you time. But I figured you could look around while I’m at it. Maybe you’ll see something you like.”

He pulled into a local Super Mart and went on his way. Claire had already guessed that she’d been coerced into a shopping trip. Stubbornness made her swear to herself that she wouldn’t make this easy on him. Not for a second. She wouldn’t buy a thing.

That plan blew up almost immediately of course. Dean seemed to have no interest in her getting anything. In fact he had practically left her at the entrance, busy flitting from shelf to shelf.

Clearly he’d been here a couple of times. He’d made a B-line straight for the mechanic’s section. From her place at the door, Claire could see him peering into a toolbox and comparing bottles of oil treatment.

“Oh. Okay. So I guess this really wasn’t about me,” she gave an unimpressed sniff. Not even remotely interested in car stuff, she went off on her own to the other end of the store. It didn’t take long to find that there was a section for everything. Even she couldn’t feign disinterest for long.

With no history of decorating up her sleeve, she had no idea what to focus on. That didn’t mean she didn’t find some things that caught her interest. Within the next five minutes, she’d hunted Dean down and dragged him away with his shopping basket in tow.

“I changed my mind. I think I want to get some of this stuff, but I’m not sure what,” she gestured around her at the enormous isle.

“Lucky for you, I’m pretty good at this,” Dean draped an arm around her shoulder.

“Oh really? You?”

“Yeah. Sam and I lived like drifters for most of our lives. Never had a place of our own until the bunker. I get it. Nesting is always awkward at first.”

Claire looked around at the comforters and quilts, custom made lamps and polished side tables. There were so many colors and patterns. The entire section was dedicated to bedroom décor and it was overwhelming.

“Where do we start?”

“I’d suggest new sheets and blankets. Nothing else makes a room feel like yours.”

“And what about money?”

“Cas, Sam and I gave Jody cash to help with taking care of you. You’re set.”

Claire looked around and grabbed the first sheet set she saw. Dean’s quiet judgment made her put it back down. She reached for another and tossed a glance back at him.

“Dude, are you trying to be tacky?” he made a face.

“What? What’s wrong with these?”

“Those are old people sheets. And I would know. Everything in my home belonged to old, dead guys.”

Claire gave a huff that reminded him too much of an impatient Cas. “This is hopeless,” she grumbled under her breath. He heard every word.

With the Mark on his arm and his list of distractions running low, Dean was maybe latching onto this too much. It was simple and safe as far as his usual distractions went. He liked throwing himself into helping someone else without the need for killing or hunting.

So if it was the last thing he did he’d help Claire nest better than anyone had ever goddamn nested before, so help him. The kid deserved at least that. And he knew Cas would appreciate Claire getting help with this new chapter in her life.

More determined than anyone had any right to be about bedding, he sifted through dozens of choices before emerging with six good possibilities. Claire smiled at each packet, taking one and then the other to compare. The old dude had style.

“See told you we could do this.”

“Shut up, Winchester.”

“C’mon. We’re nesting pros,” he held out a fist, wiggling it when she didn’t respond.

“You’re such a nerd,” she hid a smile but gave him a fist bump anyway.

His triumphant grin as he went to look at lamps made her chest warm.

**Author's Note:**

> There will be future Destiel, Alex/Claire and perhaps Donna/Jody within the future of this storyline. Oh and I'd love some feedback since these fics are my first try at fanfiction


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